Research

Mapping the regulatory wiring diagrams encoded in genomes is key to understanding development, disease and evolution. The White lab studies the coordinated action of networks of genes that control developmental and evolutionary processes. We have particular focus on building genome-wide models of transcriptional networks, and we use an integrated approach that makes use of gene expression microarrays, large-scale protein-protein and protein-DNA interaction analyses, systematic RNAi analysis and high throughput polymorphism detection. By applying our methods to both closely and distantly related species, we are investigating how conserved molecular networks control basic developmental processes and how variation in molecular networks translates into variation in organismal phenotypes. We are particularly interested in the transcriptional networks controlled by nuclear receptor proteins in development and disease. We also are studying the transcriptional mechanisms involved in patterning early embryos. We make use of the compact Drosophila genome and the genomes of related species as model systems for many of our studies, and recently we have also begun to apply these genomics and computational approaches to investigations of the human genome.